In certain food industries, such as in the production of glucose, corn syrup, and the like from starch, starch slurry must be converted by means of enzymes into dextrins and then into glucose. In general, industry-standard starch slurry consists of about 65% water and 35% starch. In high speed, high volume production lines, this slurry is pumped from one station to another during processing thereof
The ideal temperature for a widely-used enzyme, alpha amylase, to hydrolyze the starch into dextrins is about 100-115.degree. C. Unfortunately, a 35% starch slurry starts to gel at about 70.degree. C., and its viscosity remains high until most of the starch has been hydrolyzed at about 102.degree. C. This causes significant increases in the cost and power required to pump the gelatinous and viscous fluid from one station to another in the production line. Rapid heating of the slurry to 102.degree. C. in an effort to "bypass" the high viscosity phase does not solve the problem because the breakdown of the starch is relatively slow, with the result that the fluid remains viscous.